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IVF Funding: What’s Happening in 2015? #ohip4ivf #onpoli
Usually the holidays roll around and the season itself is cause for sadness among those who are trying to conceive, struggling with infertility. That may be the case still for some people, because infertility is emotionally, physically and financially draining, but this coming year there is good reason to hope and be optimistic and thankful too. So as we close 2014 I thought it was important to take a moment and reflect on what we have accomplished in Ontario and remind people of what’s happening with IVF funding in 2015. So here’s what we know about Ontario’s IVF funding program in 2015: 1. $50 million has been promised for an IVF…
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Part 3: Egg Freezing – Heather and Hunter
Meet Heather and Hunter Pelz. Mom and Baby couldn’t be happier or healthier. He’s a bit of a miracle and at 11 months, like many babies he is growing fast, exploring and socializing slowly when safely in presence of his Mom or Dad. So what’s so unusual about this story? Well, Hunter was born when Mom was 44 which speaks to a trend that is not entirely uncommon in Canada. Moms across Canada, are often older when they begin trying to conceive. It’s a demographic reality that is also partly related to social expectations and the fact that a huge percentage of women have careers and post secondary education. That…
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Male Infertility Infographic #abhc4ivf #abpoli
One in six couples of reproductive age will experience infertility. Infertility can be a devastating diagnosis, financially, emotionally and physically. Male infertility makes up about 40 % of all infertility cases. But somehow male infertility seems to have less awareness than female infertility. In fact the split between the genders and infertility rates is close to equal at 40 % each. There are many causes of infertility from cancer to Crohn’s Disease. A prior sexually transmitted disease can mean you might be at high risk for infertility. There are a few myths and facts here I wanted to share about male factor infertility. Whether infertility is caused by male or…
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Five Ways to Pass the Two Week Wait IVF #infertility
The two week wait. Cue ominous music. In infertility terms the two week wait is a suspenseful, frustrating, stressful time. It’s the two week wait IVF or IUI. After what is often months, and sometimes years of treatment the two week wait is one of the final hurdles and it can be a frustrating time. Here are some ideas to pass that time without going stir crazy. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Anyone who has struggled to conceive and undergone fertility or infertility treatment such as IVF or IUI knows the torture of the two week wait. The two week wait IVF is bad enough without adding the stressful factors of…
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The Protective Factor of Diagnosis and Three Ways to Help a Person with FASD Now
When it comes to children and any form of disability early diagnosis and intervention is often key to success. Why is that? Because having a way to frame a child’s behaviour can make all the difference in the world to how you approach that child as a parent, as a therapist, a doctor, or a school. If you try to teach a fish to walk you end up frustrated, but worse than that you end up making the fish feel stupid. Proper diagnosis of FASD is critical to success. So why do we have such difficulty diagnosing and treating children and youth with FASD? And what is it? FASD, or fetal…
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Can you drink alcohol when pregnant? – #PreventFASD
Can you drink alcohol when pregnant? It’s a weighty, controversial question. So many popular myths still endorse drinking alcohol as culturally acceptable when pregnant. Many people still believe alcohol is okay to consume in moderate amounts when you are pregnant. This is an interactive post designed to get you thinking about drinking when pregnant and risks associated with that. Interactive and hands on learning works best for my child with FASD – fetal alcohol spectrum disorder – and the same is true of many of our children and young adults diagnosed with FASD. So let’s give this a try. This is the first in a series of posts on FASD…
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Crowdfunding A Baby: How One BC Couple Paid for Fertility Treatments #ivf4bc #bcpoli
(This post about crowdfunding a baby was originally published in 2013. It has been UPDATED with 2016 information) You’ve heard of crowdfunding a new product. And crowdfunding to launch a concept like a new app, or the perfect Canadian winter coat. How about crowdfunding a baby? When expensive fertility treatments are necessary and they aren’t covered sometimes you have to get extremely resourceful. Remember Nick? You might have read of his creative approach to fertility funding earlier this year when he spoke to the Vancouver Sun about crowd funding health care treatment. Nick Beaulieu and his wife were running out of options when he decided to ask friends, family…
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We’ve Been Trying Since I Was 25: An Infertility Story #ivf4on #onpoli
Ashley and Brandon Powell Ashley Powell is 29, diagnosed with PCOS and she has exhausted most of her options trying to get pregnant. Ashley ’s infertility story starts back at puberty. She had her first period at 13. But it took a full year before her next period arrived. Her menstrual cycles have always been erratic and painful. Powell typically had only 4-8 periods each year and they were extremely painful. In college she was diagnosed with Polycystic ovarian syndrome and referred to a gynecologist. The doctor told her she might have trouble conceiving and that has been proven repeatedly. She married her husband Brandon in 2009 and they began…
